Kootenai County to pilot full-scale leachate treatment system amid PFAS concerns
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Summary
County solid waste staff briefed commissioners on a full-scale leachate treatment pilot from Dynatech Systems, citing PFAS and other contaminants as the reason the county must pursue on-site treatment; system components arrived late 2024 and staff expect to operate a heated, full-scale pilot in winter/spring 2025.
John Phillips, director of Kootenai County Solid Waste, told the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 14 that the department is installing a full-scale leachate treatment pilot after regional publicly owned treatment works stopped accepting untreated landfill leachate because of contaminants including PFAS.
The pilot comes after a successful bench-scale study by Dynatech Systems and a purchase order was issued in May 2024. "Dynatech is optimistic that we'll be able to process up to 1,000,000 gallons per month while running this full scale pilot," Phillips said. He said supply-chain delays pushed the bulk delivery of equipment to late October 2024 and forced the department to purchase insulated, heated shipping containers to house ultrafiltration and reverse-osmosis units for winter operation.
The county began seeking alternatives after its regional publicly owned treatment works notified the department in December 2022 that it could no longer accept untreated leachate because of concerns about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and high total dissolved solids (TDS). Phillips said the department contacted nearby publicly owned treatment works in Hayden, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls to evaluate emergency discharge standards.
Dynatech performed a bench-scale treatability study that county staff said was successful, prompting the full-scale pilot procurement in 2024. Under the rental agreement Phillips described, roughly 87.5% of rental payments would be applied toward purchase if the equipment proves successful. Staff constructed a lined, contained pad for the units and ordered insulated containers to enable winter operation.
If the pilot can treat up to 1,000,000 gallons per month as expected, Phillips said some treated wastewater could be hauled to nearby POTWs that accept it and additional treated water could be routed to the landfill's irrigation/misting evaporation system in summer to reduce off-site hauling. He cautioned that the county will only apply rental credits toward purchase if the pilot is successful. No final procurement decision has been made.
The board did not take formal action on the pilot at the meeting. Phillips said staff will continue commissioning the system and will return with operational results and any future requests for purchase approval or budget action.